David is a heavyweight in the world of California fisheries. He has been fishing out of San Diego for 40 years, using traps, nets, lines and harpoons. He is a second generation tuna fisherman, and works hard to keep consumers interested and able to buy local seafood. He has a booth at San Diego's Tuna Harbor Dockside Market, which operates every Saturday just like ours here in Santa Barbara.
David has been actively representing California fishermen by participating in various industry and fisheries management bodies, most notably, the Pacific Fisheries Management Council. This Council is one of 8 regional bodies of NOAA that set policies for fisheries. The Council process is highly bureaucratic, sometimes taking many years to make changes, but also highly participatory, taking pains to balance representation from commercial and recreational fleets, environmental groups, academia and government at all levels.
Fun fact: David Haworth's son, Nick, also a fisherman, lost his dog out at sea and found her alive and well 5 weeks later! Read the full story here.
ABOUT ALBACORE:
Albacore is one of the West Coast’s flagship sustainable fisheries, catching fish one-by-one with hook and line off of small boats with no bycatch. Fisherman Tom bled each albacore to create a premium product.
Albacore’s high abundance, along with tough regulations and effective monitoring in US waters has created a highly sustainable fishery, earning Seafood Watch’s ‘green’ Best Choice label.
Able to swim up to 50 mph, Albacore are too fast and agile to get caught in a net! Albacore schools are highly migratory, following squid and other bait fish, which in turn home in on the zooplankton soup that blooms in areas of strong ocean upwelling and eddying. Albacore can roam as far as Japan, southern Baja and northern Oregon in a single year. Locating them is the big challenge, as sometimes they are very far offshore. They tend to visit West Coast waters as juveniles, under 25 lbs, which means they are low in mercury compared to other tuna.
Our tuna this week is very young and small (about 2 feet long and 13 lbs each). It is also packed with omegas, selenium, and other good stuff, and is free of mercury risk!
This fish is extra fresh and sashimi grade -- perfect for a quick sear on all sides and sliced with a dipping sauce, or make a poke!
See our recipe ideas for Albacore here.
ABOUT THE FISHERY:
The Fishing Vessel Kaylee H is a long-line boat run by father son duo Nick and David Haworth in San Diego.
Longlining uses a main line with smaller lines attached loaded with baits separated at regular intervals. Longlining for tuna takes place at the ocean surface more than 200 miles from shore, which is just outside the boundary of U.S. waters.
This type of longlining is not allowed closer to shore to avoid interactions with coastal seabirds and marine mammals. Gear restrictions and regulations on longline operations are enforced to minimize bycatch of sensitive species. Observer coverage is high and all fishermen receive training on safe release of protected species using specialized equipment they are required to use. Consequently, interactions with protected species such as sea turtles, marine mammals, and seabirds in these fisheries are rare and survival rates are estimated to be high for all gear types.
San Diego tuna longline boats typically go out for trips lasting 1-4 weeks. Opah and Wahoo sometimes school with the tuna and are taken as desired 'bycatch'. All three of these species are fast-growing and have high reproductive rates. Management measures are in place to minimize take of juveniles.
Historically, it was the East Coast's demand for canned tuna in the early 1900s (following a sardine shortage) that encouraged the launch of Southern California's tuna industry. Boats in San Pedro, Long Beach, and San Diego began fishing California waters to support San Diego's first cannery, The Pacific Tuna Canning Company.
These days its hard to find American canned tuna, but you can find it on our Shop!
Get to know Victoria - the co-founder, co-owner, and Chief Operations Officer of Get Hooked! From Victoria: "I am the daughter of a fisherman, which meant that as a child my father was away for days and sometimes many weeks at a time. The Santa Barbara fishing community was central to my childhood. Starting at age 18, I fished 3 summers for sockeye salmon commercially with my father in Alaska. This work was a way for me to connect with him and be a part of his ocean world. After attending Tulane University, I became involved with the Southern Poverty Law Center, where I focused on social justice issues. I finished my degree at UCSB, and then took a job with the Santa Barbara Waterfront Department. My family and I relocated to Australia for the last two years and upon returning to Santa Barbara, I had the opportunity to connect with Kim in building this CSF. Get Hooked is my way of reconnecting with my dad and the fishing legacy that runs deep in our family; I am so excited to share this tradition with my home-town community."
ABOUT THE SPECIES:
Spiny Lobster don't have the claws of a Maine lobster, but the meat is sweeter and the tails are larger. Those Maine Lobster claws have a tight grip on the US lobster market, but California Spiny Lobster is a internationally-known delicacy!
Our Spiny Lobster is caught at the Channel Islands, where lobster populations are booming! This is due to a combination of good management and marine reserves that ‘export’ lobster to fishing grounds, as well as warming waters with climate change. Spiny Lobster is a tropical species that is expanding its range up our coast with global warming. The majority of California Spiny Lobster live off the Pacific coast of Baja California. The Mexican fishery there is also very well managed.
Travis Meyer is the owner of HaHa Fish Co. and operator of FV Ono, a hook and line boat that fishes the central coast. He has spent most of his adult life working in the commercial fishing industry and has a great deal of respect for our natural resources. Throughout the last several years as the so called "field to fork" fad started, Travis saw a huge hole in the direct to market of good quality fish. He set out on a mission to fill that hole and as things progressed so has the quality. Travis has learned so much about the care needed to bring the absolute best to consumers and now utilizes a Japanese method of dispatching his catch called Shinkei-jime.
This method reduces stress by killing the nervous system of the fish instantly and drastically reduces stress, bruising and lactic acid build up in the flesh. Ultimately, leaving the fish with better taste, texture, and longevity.
RECIPES:
You can't go wrong with the rich, tender meat of sea bass. Follow along with this quick how-to video of for melt-in-your-mouth white sea bass with fresh herbs, garlic, and lemon, see our recipes page, or try the one below for a zingy mouthful of fresh fennel and citrus blended with olives and red onion.
White Sea Bass with Orange-Fennel Relish
by Cooking Light
4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons fresh orange juice
1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 fennel bulb
3/4 cup fresh orange sections
3-4 tablespoons thinly sliced red onion
1/3 cup halved Castelvetrano (or other) olives
2 or 3 white sea bass fillets, 5-6 ounces each
1 or 2 teaspoons butter
Combine first 4 ingredients, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Remove fronds from fennel bulb; chop fronds to measure 2 tablespoons. Remove and discard stalks. Cut fennel bulb in half lengthwise; discard core. Thinly slice fennel bulb. Add sliced fennel, orange sections, onion, and olives to orange juice mixture; toss gently to coat. Stir in fennel fronds.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle fish evenly with remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt and the remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper, or to taste. Add butter to pan; swirl until butter melts. Add fish to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Serve with relish. Enjoy!
]]>The Fishing Vessel pictured above is another Oregon Pink Shrimp boat, the FV Lady Law at the tail end of last season. Like the Marie Kathleen, this boat is also a bottom trawl double rig shrimper. That means a net is set on either side of the vessel.
Pink shrimp are only fished during the day, since the shrimp migrate to the muddy bottom to feed at night. Oregon Bay Pink Shrimp were the first shrimp fishery to be MSC certified (MSC is Marine Stewardship Council, the largest sustainable seafood label globally). Thanks to MSC, Pink Shrimp are world renowned not only for their sweet taste but for their sustainability.
These double trawls are extremely unique in their use of BRDs (bycatch reduction devices), where fish as big as halibut can easily swim out unobstructed, allowing for the average pink shrimp bycatch to be well below 5%.
ABOUT THE FISHERY:
Oregon Bay Pink Shrimp were the first shrimp fishery to receive MSC certification. MSC, or the Marine Stewardship Council, is a private organization that certifies global fisheries that meet their strict standards for sustainability. While MSC certification makes it easy and effective for consumers to shop for sustainable seafood products, it is certainly not the only way to determine sustainability. Much like organic farming, some say that MSC certification is an expensive deterrent that stonewalls lower income or lesser known fisheries from receiving the eco-praise they deserve.
Shrimp is one of the most consumed seafoods in the United States - we eat one billion pounds a year. Almost all of that shrimp is imported, and primarily farmed. Some studies suggest that farmed and imported shrimp is up to ten times worse for the environment than industrialized beef, as most shrimp farms sit on what used to be mangrove forests. More shockingly, shrimp farming is consistently linked to human rights abuses including human trafficking and slave labor, and are usually pumped up with unregulated antibiotics and harmful chemicals. Looking for a good way to eat your values? Avoid imported farmed shrimp and support domestic shrimpers!
ABOUT PINK SHRIMP:
These shrimp are referred to as Oregon Pink Shrimp or Oregon Bay Shrimp. They're found from Central California all the way to the Canadian Border, but are almost exclusively landed in northern Oregon.
This species is also a serial hermaphrodite – meaning they undergo a change of sex. All pink shrimp are born male and become female later in life. They live 4 years and can grow up to 5.5 inches.
Pink Shrimp school in massive groups, and drop down to the muddy ocean floor at night to feed.
RECIPES:
These shrimp are ready to eat! They've been cooked and peeled, which is done (thankfully) by machine. Best to thaw them right before eating under tap water. They will thaw very quickly.
Look for recipes that call for Bay Shrimp, Salad Shrimp or Pink Shrimp. Keep it simple – these tiny shrimp are packed with flavor. Try a light and fresh ceviche, a shrimp quesedilla, add to a couscous salad, or work into a risotto (See below).
Shrimp Salad with Louie Dressing
Ingredients (Serves 2)
Divide the greens between two plates. On top of each bed of greens: arrange 1 cup of the shrimp in the center, then surround with half of the tomatoes, half of the avocado slices, 2 slices of the bacon, 1 egg, and additional garnishes as desired. Top with Louis Dressing and serve.
Louie Dressing:
Whisk together:
Adjust flavorings, adding additional Worcestershire, steak sauce or horseradish as necessary. Makes about 1-1/2 cups (you will have plenty left over)
About that 6-1/2 minute egg: In order to achieve an egg that reliably has a firm white with a soft yolk, timing is everything. Bring a pot of water to a boil. While that is happening, place 2 eggs on a slotted spoon and hold them under a stream of hot running water for 10 seconds. By warming the eggs slightly they won’t crack when they land in the boiling water.
When the pot of water comes to a boil, gently lower the preheated eggs down into it with the slotted spoon. Set your timer for 6 minutes and 30 seconds. When the time is up, remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and place them into a bowl of ice water until they have cooled thoroughly. Remove the eggs from the water and gently peel them. When ready to serve, slice each egg in half lengthwise.
Adapted from: Jan Roberts-Dominguez for the Mail Tribune
Shrimp Risotto
Ingredients (Serves 2)
Preparation
Bring broth and 1/4 cup wine to simmer in medium saucepan. Reduce heat; keep hot. This will be ladled into the rice to cook the rice.
Melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and remaining 1 teaspoon garlic; sauté until onion is pale golden, about 4 minutes. Add rice and stir to coat, about 2 minutes.
Add 2 cups broth mixture. Simmer until liquid is absorbed, stirring often. Continue adding broth mixture 1 cup at a time, stirring often and simmering until liquid is absorbed before adding more, about 20 minutes.
While the rice cooks, melt 2 tablespoons butter in medium skillet over medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon garlic and crushed red pepper, and the remaining 1/2 cup wine and simmer 2 minutes. Add shrimp, simmer until shrimp are warmed through, about 1-2 minutes. Drain shrimp, reserving cooking liquid.
Stir into the rice the reserved shrimp cooking liquid. Cook until rice is just tender and mixture is creamy, about 5 minutes longer. Remove from heat.
Stir shrimp and 2 tablespoons parsley into risotto. Season risotto to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowls. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons parsley.
]]>Garrett Rose grew up fishing with his dad, David, in Morro Bay. David started out as a trawler and was one of the few brave fishermen to volunteer to partner with The Nature Conservancy in 2008 to convert his trawler to long line and commit to integrating their research on the new gear into his operations. These days, David still fishes groundfish, but he also takes in squid and salmon off his boat, the Kai Honi II. A couple years ago, Garrett bought another of his dad’s boats, the Taurus. It has been so fun to watch him take on ownership of his fishing business with serious determination and success.
Garrett has a diversified fisheries portfolio with a rock crab permit, a long line permit for sablefish and thornyhead, a Dungeness crab permit, a deeper nearshore rockfish permit, a salmon troll permit, and a little used urchin permit just in case he finds a moment to go diving! You can find Garrett selling his catch at the Saturday Fishermen’s Market almost every weekend.
ABOUT KING SALMON:
Salmon are one of Planet Earth’s most impressive and tasty life forms, able to live in oceans, rivers and lakes, and migrate thousands of miles between their feeding grounds and home spawning turf. King (Chinook) Salmon in California are particularly adept at handling the diverse and fluctuating rivers and ocean environments of our neck of the woods.
Although King salmon can stray as far south as the Santa Barbara Channel, they are more plentiful to our north, so each year a handful of Santa Barbara fishermen head north to chase the fish wherever they may be off the California coast.
The California troll (hook and line) fishery is a very small, tightly regulated fishery that only opens a few weeks at a time to ensure sustainability. The recent rainy years in Central California have lead to an upswing in population size for the species. Each salmon is hand caught, and gutted bled and iced immediately on the boat to product a top quality product.
Tim lives in Oxnard and has been fishing since 1974, right out of high school, getting his start in the recreational party-boat industry. He soon found he enjoyed commercial fishing better.
F/V Outer Banks is his 3rd boat and he hopes it is his last. He has participated in squid, shark, near-shore, rockfish, black cod, etc. He's also been active throughout his career in fisheries management, working with the Pacific Fisheries Management Council, and helping to design new legislation for various state fisheries as well to help ensure commercial fishing survives alongside habitat protections.
Tim's deckhand Austin Jeffcoat has been fishing since he was a young kid with his dad.
About the Fishery:
Our Rockfish were taken by longline.
The mixed-species rockfish fishery is managed by depth zone. Each fishermen is allotted a quota, the total pounds of each species of rockfish they are allowed to catch each month. A determined, experienced fisherman can catch his quota in just a few days of fishing.
After decades of decline, rockfish populations started booming about 10 years ago. This turn around happened because large areas of rockfish fishing grounds were closed to fishing in the 1990's and early 2000's to set up 'Rockfish Conservation Areas' that gave the populations a break from heavy fishing pressure. Much of the trawling fishery was replaced by hook and line and trap based fishing. These measures have done their job faster than anyone thought possible. Now that the populations are very healthy, fisheries managers are starting to reopen the RCAs a little a time, by extending the allowed depth zone of fishing.
Now ocean conservation groups actually want to help increase catch levels of California rockfish (and Pacific groundfish generally) because of our local fisheries provide inexpensive but high quality domestic seafood in high volume, and stem demand for unsustainably caught foreign seafood. That's not something you hear too often!!
Recipes:
Rockfish has tender, lean meat and a light but succulent flavor. It holds together well in any type of cooking, and its mild taste supports all flavors, from sweet to savory. You'll know it's done when the flesh has become opaque and begun to flake apart. It is excellent poached, baked or grilled.
A favorite prep method is a simple pan fry in coconut or avocado oil. The fillet is first dipped in egg, scrambled with a little salted milk, coated with flour and salt, and then cooked on medium to high heat until brown in hot oil. Two to three minutes per side is all it takes!
Your fish is coming skin-on. Here is a demonstration of how to remove the skin if you'd prefer to eat your fillet skinless.
Check out our recipes pages for rockfish and 'any white fish' for some delicious options, and click on the image above to learn how Chef PA prepares pan-seared rockfish.
]]>ABOUT YOUR FISHERMAN: MORGAN CASTAGNOLA
Morgan Castagnola (R in pic above) is a third generation Santa Barbara fisherman whose mugshot decorates our coolers. Morgan is a straightforward man of few words. He fishes Halibut, Cucumber and Shrimp from his boat the Cecelia.
The Castagnolas are famous in Santa Barbara for their dominance in the local seafood industry for well over 100 years. Brothers Gio Batta and Salvatore Castagnola came to Santa Barbara in 1896 from Genoa, Italy and with their wives raised 16 children in Santa Barbara in the early 20th century. Eleven of the brood were sons who all fished in the skiffs that their fathers built, and several also created fish processing facilities in what is now the Funk Zone. There are still many Castagnolas in the local fishing industry today.
ABOUT CALIFORNIA HALIBUT
You think stealth technology only exists in planes? Think again. California halibut are the ultimate stealth hunters, using camouflage, their large, sharp teeth and cautious, surreptitious movements to catch their prey
Halibut eyes are truly shifty: six months after they are born, the left eye migrates from the left side of its body over to its right side. In one of 20,000, the right eye goes over to the left side instead. Halibut are primarily found on the sandy ocean floor in bays, estuaries, and beyond the shoreline down to 300 meters, from Southern Baja California Mexico through Washington.
Halibut are caught year round. Perhaps due to changes in diet or metabolism, the texture of the meat changes slightly between winter and summer. In California, 50% of Halibut landings are from bottom trawl, 25% hook-and-line, & 25% set gillnet.
Your fish this week was caught by bottom trawl. Our bottom trawlers target halibut or shrimp over muddy bottom habitat. This fishery is small and has fisheries observers and strict regulations to minimize bycatch. We generally take any bycatch that comes up with the halibut so we fully utilize the catch, and so far thats been limited to just a few small angel sharks.
ABOUT THE FISHERY
Since 1991, set gillnets are only allowed in deep waters far offshore (three miles from the coast or one mile from the Channel Islands) to avoid interactions with otters and other marine mammals, and large zones of the California coast are fully off limits to gillnetting. These restrictions have been very successful, with no known otter interactions in 20 years.
Net fishing is an efficient way to fish but sometimes comes with higher bycatch. There are less than 50 fishermen statewide using set gillnets, which limits their impacts. The most problematic issue with set gillnets these days is the occasional unintended take of a great white shark, a rare species. These sharks are donated for scientific research when possible. The sharp rise in white sharks in our waters may be a long-term rebound effect connected to the 1991 restriction of gillnets, as well as booming seal populations.
Find more recipes on our website.
]]>
Watch this great 4-minute film about Bernard's operation, created by the Santa Barbara Fish Market.
Bernard has been very successful with his shellfish farm, and has working to expand its size. After a 4 year process of getting approvals from a long list of State agencies, he has gotten the green light!
Bernard has been studying and growing mussels for over 15 years. He has made trips to Nicaragua to teach oyster farming and restoration to indigenous women of El Ostional. He has a B.A. in Biology from UC Santa Cruz, an A.S. in Commercial diving technologies from Santa Barbara City College, and a M.Sc. in Fisheries Management, Development, and Conservation from the University of Ireland. Bernard also serves on the board of Commercial Fishermen of Santa Barbara. You can find Bernard’s shellfish at the Saturday Farmer’s Market, the Santa Barbara Fish Market, and many restaurants throughout the region.
How to Store and Prep Mussels:
Your mussels will be delivered live. Mussels are intertidal species, meaning they can live happily many hours out of water if they stay cool, have air flow and don’t touch fresh water. Keep the bag in your fridge, open wide. Or better yet, transfer them to a bowl and cover with a damp but not dripping towel, stored in the fridge. When you are ready to use them, rinse them briefly in fresh water and discard any dead mussels – dead mussels will be stuck in an open position. Prep your mussels before cooking by pulling off the ‘beard’ – the threads they use to attach themselves to rocks and ropes - by pulling toward the hinge and away from the shell.
About the Fishery:
Bernard grows the Mediterranean Mussel, a species that has been abundant along the west coast for over a century after it was introduced by Europeans. The mussels are grown along vertical ropes anchored to the seafloor. They feed themselves from the plankton drifting by. Open-ocean mussel farming has one of the lowest environmental impacts of any food you could eat – it has minimal impact on habitat or foodwebs, uses no freshwater, fertilizer, pesticide or antibiotics, and being transported just a few miles from the harbor, our mussels have a tiny carbon footprint. By one estimate, the entire world’s protein needs could be met by mussel farming an area of the ocean smaller than the State waters of California!
Recipes
Classic French Preparation - As always, the French know how to do it right. This classic French recipe for mussels in white wine and butter will wow you and your dinnermates:
Bravas Sauce (Dairy Free)
Directions: caramelize the garlic, & shallot in oil. Add the chilis chopped with the dry seasonings & toast. Add the tomato paste & Red Wine Vinegar & Molasses and cook for a few minutes to warm up the tomato paste and get the liquid moving. Blend until smooth adjusting the consistency with water. Season with salt to taste.
Mussels & Potatoes
Directions: Small - Medium dice the potatoes, coat with oil and season with salt & pepper. Roast at 350 until just tender (about 30 minutes). Let cool. Remove the meat from the mussels after steaming and mix with the well chopped fine herbs.
]]>About Bernard Friedman
Watch this great 4-minute film about Bernard's operation, created by the Santa Barbara Fish Market.
Bernard has been very successful with his shellfish farm, and has working to expand its size. After a 4 year process of getting approvals from a long list of State agencies, he has gotten the green light!
Bernard has been studying and growing mussels for over 15 years. He has made trips to Nicaragua to teach oyster farming and restoration to indigenous women of El Ostional. He has a B.A. in Biology from UC Santa Cruz, an A.S. in Commercial diving technologies from Santa Barbara City College, and a M.Sc. in Fisheries Management, Development, and Conservation from the University of Ireland. Bernard also serves on the board of Commercial Fishermen of Santa Barbara. You can find Bernard’s shellfish at the Saturday Farmer’s Market, the Santa Barbara Fish Market, and many restaurants throughout the region.
Oysters should be live until consumed. Keeping them cold and away from standing fresh water is key to keeping them live.
Shells should be tightly closed. If shells are open or easy to open, they are not live. Let us know if your oysters didn’t stay live and we will comp you!
Store them in their bag, laid flat in the fridge with the larger curved shell side down. The bag should stay sealed with some air in it to keep the humidity up.
How to shuck oysters: watch this quick video. Our friend Chef PA also suggests rinsing and flipping the oyster over before shooting. If you don't have an oyster shucker at home, you can purchase one from us at-cost.
They are very versatile and can be served baked, steamed, grilled, or raw. For wine pairings, stick with crisp whites like Sauvignon Blanc or Sancerre, or a sparkling wine or champagne.
About Oyster Farming
Oyster farming was practiced by the ancient Romans as early as the 1st century BC. These days, Miyagi oysters (aka Japanese oysters or Pacific oysters) are the most widely farmed oysters in the world, since they are easy to grow and adapt to new environments easily.
These marvelous mollusks can EACH clean up to 50 gallons of water a day. In the wild, oyster reefs create habitat for thousands of other sea creatures, many of which, like mussels and clams, also help filter water. Oyster beds shape the bottom of bays so that waves break before crashing on shore, creating protection during storm surges. Because they consume so much algae, they can help stop algae blooms that are harmful to bays and other marine species.
These days, most oysters in the marketplace are farmed.
Oysters are as sustainable as sustainable gets. Farming practices are low impact, and oysters filter and clean our waterways. Seafood Watch includes oysters in "the best of the best" on their Super Green List of seafood recommendations, based on the low level of environmental contaminants and rich health benefits.
Recipes
George recommends having his oysters on the BBQ, grilled with garlic butter, panko, parmesan, cayenne pepper and parsley. Serve with a sliced baguette and cucumber salad for an excellent meal. Using the broiler works well too.
Or try Real Good Fish’s Oysters Rockefeller. This appetizer was created in 1899 and features oysters topped with a mixture of finely chopped greens and copious amounts of butter and then baked in their shells. It was considered so rich that it was named after the richest man of the day, John D. Rockefeller.
About Bill Blue
Bill Blue was born and raised in SoCal and grew up sportfishing and surfing with his dad. When he got to Morro Bay in the 70’s, he was interested to try out life as a deckhand on a commercial boat, but it took him quite awhile to convince the locals to hire an out-of-towner. One day he finally got the call to get to the boat that evening at midnight, and Bill has been fishing continuously ever since. For a long time, he maintained a second slip in San Francisco to make the most of the Dungeness fishery, but these days, he stays close to home. Bill is so calm, patient, and professional. We love working with Bill!
About the Black Cod Fishery
The Santa Barbara Black Cod fishery uses deepwater longline gear. Longlining uses a main line with smaller lines attached loaded with baits separated at regular intervals. The main line can be placed near the bottom of the seabed by applying weights for Black Cod and Rockfish, or near the surface for fish such as Albacore Tuna and Swordfish. Surface longlining is prohibited in U.S. waters due to interactions with sea birds and mammals. ‘Deep-set’ longlines don’t have that problem, and are encouraged as a gear type because it can be a low-impact alternative to bottom trawling.
Seafood Watch green-lights longlined Black Cod and Thornyhead as a ‘Best Choice,’ but gives a Yellow rating to Grenadier because they have not gathered the information they need to fully evaluate it, due to the fact it is rarely found in the marketplace. But, it is highly abundant and nearly untargeted, so we are not worried
Santa Barbara has about a dozen active black cod fishermen, all with very small boats that zoom out to distant fishing grounds far off of Point Conception, in about 2000-3000 ft of water. This fishery only began ~10 years ago, when the price of Black Cod started to make it worthwhile. The Thornyhead that come up are kept alive and sold to a premium market, mostly targeting Chinatown in San Francisco and other Asian restaurants with live tanks. Selling your catch live is the best way to get a premium price, and so be able to make a good living as a fisherman without needing to take too many fish out of the ocean.
Cooking Tips and Tricks
Beware, this fish has many ‘pin bones,’ curved little bones that run along the fish's centerline (see picture below). You will not find them in the narrow end (tail).
To remove pin bones:
Option 1, after cooking - gently prod the widest end of the cooked fillets with a fork under bright light to discover them and pull them out with your fingers or tweezers before you start eating. If you cook your fish until it browns on top, the tip of the pin bones will begin to char and rise out of the meat, making them really easy to see. You won’t find any toward the tail (skinnier end).
Option 2, before cooking - Lay fillet skin side down. Take a very sharp knife and run the tip along one side of the center line to feel for the pin bones (see image below). Once you have an idea of their location, make a extremely narrow V-cut along the centerline of the fish to excise just the center strip of meat with the pin bones in them. Press down hard with the tip of the knife to cut fully through the skin. The idea is to cut a center sliver, containing the pin bones, out of the fillet before cooking. You may wish to then cut your fillet in three pieces, separating the left and right halves you created from the triangular tail.
This applies to baking, broiling and pan frying black cod:
One more note about 'shrinking' fillets - Because of the high oil content, black cod can be baked 15 to 25 minutes without drying out. If you like a firmer, roasted preparation, you will want to cook it for about 20 minutes. How long you cook the fillet is a matter of personal preference, but note that the longer you cook it, the more the fat will run off, decreasing the final weight of your fillet! We suggest using a marinade with a bit of sugar (think brown sugar, maple syrup, or orange juice) and finishing under the broiler for that caramelized goodness!
Recipes
Pictured above is a recipe from Sea Forager's website, submitted by one of their CSF members.... looks delicious, right? Of course there is always the classic Miso Black Cod recipe or you can check out our BC recipes here.
Enjoy!
]]>We zipped up to Morro Bay to snag some of Grassy Bar farm’s exquisite oysters. Grassy Bar is one of just two oyster farms on the Central Coast. The farm is at the south end of Morro Bay and the exposure to the open ocean gives their Pacific Oysters a deep, salty ocean flavor. Local sommelier Jesse Pender says Grassy Bar’s oysters are distinct for their hint of “garden cucumber and a lingering wet-river-stone minerality.”
George Trevelyan and his family have owned and worked Grassy Bar for 10 years. George is a native of San Diego and attended UCSB and UC Davis. He got his start at the Cayucos Abalone farm and saw an opportunity to take over Grassy Bar after the 2008 recession hit the California shellfish industry hard. They have 5.5 acres in operation out of 158 acres in their lease (this is all the State currently allows them to use).
The oysters are grown in mesh bags directly on the natural mudflats in Morro Bay's intertidal zone. Prior to harvest, the oysters are raised off the bottom onto racks for a few days which roll them with the tides to purge any silt that could be in their shells. On harvest each is washed and individually inspected. Grassy Bar oysters are featured in many Michelin starred restaurants in San Francisco.
Oysters should be live until consumed. Keeping them cold and away from standing fresh water is key to keeping them live.
Shells should be tightly closed. If shells are open or easy to open, they are not live. Let us know if your oysters didn’t stay live and we will comp you!
Store them in their bag, laid flat in the fridge with the larger curved shell side down. The bag should stay sealed with some air in it to keep the humidity up.
How to shuck oysters: watch this quick video. Our friend Chef PA also suggests rinsing and flipping the oyster over before shooting. If you don't have an oyster shucker at home, you can purchase one from us at-cost.
They are very versatile and can be served baked, steamed, grilled, or raw. For wine pairings, stick with crisp whites like Sauvignon Blanc or Sancerre, or a sparkling wine or champagne.
George farming above
ABOUT OYSTER FARMING:
Oyster farming was practiced by the ancient Romans as early as the 1st century BC. These days, Miyagi oysters (aka Japanese oysters or Pacific oysters) are the most widely farmed oysters in the world, since they are easy to grow and adapt to new environments easily.
These marvelous mollusks can EACH clean up to 50 gallons of water a day. In the wild, oyster reefs create habitat for thousands of other sea creatures, many of which, like mussels and clams, also help filter water. Oyster beds shape the bottom of bays so that waves break before crashing on shore, creating protection during storm surges. Because they consume so much algae, they can help stop algae blooms that are harmful to bays and other marine species.
These days, most oysters in the marketplace are farmed.
Oysters are as sustainable as sustainable gets. Farming practices are low impact, and oysters filter and clean our waterways. Seafood Watch includes oysters in "the best of the best" on their Super Green List of seafood recommendations, based on the low level of environmental contaminants and rich health benefits.
RECIPES:
George recommends having his oysters on the BBQ, grilled with garlic butter, panko, parmesan, cayenne pepper and parsley. Serve with a sliced baguette and cucumber salad for an excellent meal. Using the broiler works well too.
Or try Real Good Fish’s Oysters Rockefeller. This appetizer was created in 1899 and features oysters topped with a mixture of finely chopped greens and copious amounts of butter and then baked in their shells. It was considered so rich that it was named after the richest man of the day, John D. Rockefeller.
YOUR FISHERMAN: DAVID HAWORTH
David is a heavyweight in the world of California fisheries. He has been fishing out of San Diego for 40 years, using traps, nets, lines and harpoons. He is a second generation fisherman, and works hard to keep consumers interested and able to buy local seafood. He has a booth at San Diego's Tuna Harbor Dockside Market, which operates every Saturday just like ours here in Santa Barbara.
David has been actively representing California fishermen by participating in various industry and fisheries management bodies, most notably, the Pacific Fisheries Management Council. This Council is one of 8 regional bodies of NOAA that set policies for fisheries. The Council process is highly bureaucratic, sometimes taking many years to make changes, but also highly participatory, taking pains to balance representation from commercial and recreational fleets, environmental groups, academia and government at all levels.
Fun fact: David Haworth's son, Nick, also a fisherman, lost his dog out at sea and found her alive and well 5 weeks later! Read the full story here.
ABOUT OPAH
Also called moonfish, Opah is large, colorful, and otherworldly. It has a rich, creamy taste. The flavor is a distinctive cross between tuna and swordfish.
An Opah has three types of flesh, each a different color. Behind the head and along the backbone is an attractive strip of orange-colored flesh. Toward the belly, the flesh pales to a pink color. The fish’s cheeks yield dark red flesh. All cook to a white color.
F/V: KAYLEE H
The Fishing Vessel Kaylee H is a long-line boat run by father son duo Nick and David Haworth in San Diego. Longline boats typically go out for trips lasting 1-4 weeks and target a variety of tuna and swordfish. They also land opah, monchong, wahoo, escolar, opah, and a few other non-targeted species that we have sourced for you in the past! Historically, it was the East Coast's demand for canned tuna in the early 1900s (following a sardine shortage) that encouraged the launch of Southern California's tuna industry. Boats in San Pedro, Long Beach, and San Diego began fishing California waters to support San Diego's first cannery, The Pacific Tuna Canning Company. After years of success turned into a booming need to export globally, a fleet of longline boats entered the scene, and have since held an important place in this crucial Southern California industry.
ABOUT THE FISHERY
Our fish this week was caught for us using longline gear. Longlining uses a main line with smaller lines attached loaded with baits separated at regular intervals. Longlining for tuna takes place at the ocean surface more than 200 miles from shore, which is just outside the boundary of U.S. waters.
This type of longlining is not allowed closer to shore to avoid interactions with coastal seabirds and marine mammals. Gear restrictions and regulations on longline operations are enforced to minimize bycatch of sensitive species. Observer coverage is high and all fishermen receive training on safe release of protected species using specialized equipment they are required to use. Consequently, interactions with protected species such as sea turtles, marine mammals, and seabirds in these fisheries are rare and survival rates are estimated to be high for all gear types.
This fishery primarily targets tuna, using spotter planes to locate a school of tuna. Opah and Wahoo sometimes school with the tuna and are taken as desired 'bycatch'. All three of these species are fast-growing and have high reproductive rates. Management measures are in place to minimize take of juveniles.
Management of highly migratory species like tuna is complicated because the species migrate thousands of miles across international boundaries and are fished by many nations.
YOUR FISHERMAN: DAVID HAWORTH
David is a heavyweight in the world of California fisheries. He has been fishing out of San Diego for 40 years, using traps, nets, lines and harpoons. He is a second generation fisherman, and works hard to keep consumers interested and able to buy local seafood. He has a booth at San Diego's Tuna Harbor Dockside Market, which operates every Saturday just like ours here in Santa Barbara.
David has been actively representing California fishermen by participating in various industry and fisheries management bodies, most notably, the Pacific Fisheries Management Council. This Council is one of 8 regional bodies of NOAA that set policies for fisheries. The Council process is highly bureaucratic, sometimes taking many years to make changes, but also highly participatory, taking pains to balance representation from commercial and recreational fleets, environmental groups, academia and government at all levels.
Fun fact: David Haworth's son, Nick, also a fisherman, lost his dog out at sea and found her alive and well 5 weeks later! Read the full story here.
ABOUT AHI
In Hawaii, “Ahi” refers to two species, the Bigeye Tuna and the Yellowfin Tuna. Our fish this week is Bigeye. Similar in general appearance, the Bigeye may be recognized by its plump body, its larger head and its unusually large eyes. Caught in deeper, cooler water, it typically has a higher fat content than Yellowfin and is preferred by sashimi lovers. For most consumers, the two species are interchangeable.
Tuna is an excellent source of healthy, extra lean protein and with 500 mg of omega-3’s (DHA and EPA) per 4 ounce serving. It is rich in niacin, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, selenium and phosphorus, iodine and magnesium.
F/V: KAYLEE H
The Fishing Vessel Kaylee H is a long-line boat run by father son duo Nick and David Haworth in San Diego. Longline boats typically go out for trips lasting 1-4 weeks and target a variety of tuna and swordfish. They also land opah, monchong, wahoo, escolar, opah, and a few other non-targeted species that we have sourced for you in the past! Historically, it was the East Coast's demand for canned tuna in the early 1900s (following a sardine shortage) that encouraged the launch of Southern California's tuna industry. Boats in San Pedro, Long Beach, and San Diego began fishing California waters to support San Diego's first cannery, The Pacific Tuna Canning Company. After years of success turned into a booming need to export globally, a fleet of longline boats entered the scene, and have since held an important place in this crucial Southern California industry.
ABOUT THE FISHERY
Our fish this week was caught for us using longline gear. Longlining uses a main line with smaller lines attached loaded with baits separated at regular intervals. Longlining for tuna takes place at the ocean surface more than 200 miles from shore, which is just outside the boundary of U.S. waters.
This type of longlining is not allowed closer to shore to avoid interactions with coastal seabirds and marine mammals. Gear restrictions and regulations on longline operations are enforced to minimize bycatch of sensitive species. Observer coverage is high and all fishermen receive training on safe release of protected species using specialized equipment they are required to use. Consequently, interactions with protected species such as sea turtles, marine mammals, and seabirds in these fisheries are rare and survival rates are estimated to be high for all gear types.
This fishery primarily targets tuna, using spotter planes to locate a school of tuna. Opah and Wahoo sometimes school with the tuna and are taken as desired 'bycatch'. All three of these species are fast-growing and have high reproductive rates. Management measures are in place to minimize take of juveniles.
Management of highly migratory species like tuna is complicated because the species migrate thousands of miles across international boundaries and are fished by many nations.
Seafood Watch considers US longlined Bigeye Tuna to be a Good Alternative. The species experiences no overfishing in the Pacific, and the fast reproductive and growth rates enable a quick rebound from take. Surface longlining is a catch method that Seafood Watch does not favor, due to its potential for indiscriminate catch of sensitive species or juveniles. However, as explained above, the U.S.-based fishery takes great pains to minimize risks of bycatch of unwanted species or age classes.